Whitefish man to plead guilty in federal fraud case
A Whitefish man accused of several federal charges in relation to a fraudulent scheme against a Northwest Montana businessman is scheduled to plead guilty in court Wednesday.
According to court documents filed Nov. 4 in U.S. District Court in Missoula, Matthew Anthony Marshall, 50, of Whitefish, has agreed to plead guilty to money laundering, tax evasion and wire fraud. Other felony counts were dismissed as a result of the plea deal.
According to charging documents, Marshall, the former CEO of Amyntor Group, a private security company, perpetuated his alleged scheme between April 20, 2013, and March 21, 2016, when he convinced a man identified as “John Doe” he was a former CIA agent and former member of an elite unit in the U.S. Marine Corps who had engaged in covert missions around the world.
Marshall allegedly asked “John Doe” to fund “off the books” missions for the CIA. He also reportedly told the victim the missions would involve assault teams he would lead on rescue and other operations in foreign countries.
According to court documents, the victim wired a total of $2.3 million to Marshall, who allegedly used the money for personal living expenses, personal travel, as well as loans and gifts to friends and business associates.
The plea deal calls for Marshall to pay restitution of $2.3 million to the victim and nearly $900,000 restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
Marshall faces a maximum 35 years in prison, but according to the plea deal, federal prosecutor Timothy Racicot will recommend a lesser sentence.
However, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy is not bound by any agreement in the plea deal.
In a civil lawsuit against Marshall for not paying a $15,000 credit card bill, filed by Capital One Bank in Flathead County District Court in May 2021, Judge Dan Wilson ordered a default judgement on Nov. 8 against Marshall after he failed to respond to the suit.
Marshall and some of his business associates are plaintiffs in a pending lawsuit against Whitefish philanthropist Michael Lewis Goguen. Marshall and his associates are seeking more than $300 million in damages.
Marshall claims in the lawsuit that Goguen induced him to leave his position at the U.S. State Department for a job with Two Bear Security, and based on a promise by Goguen to fund a private security contracting business (which Marshall named Amyntor), to be built on Marshall's personal network and expertise, until it became profitable.
Reporter Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 406-758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.